From new research into the relationship between excess dietary phosphorus and the risk of cardiovascular disease to questions over the accuracy of how we currently measure calories, 2012 was an action packed year in the field of food research. Check out this FoodNavigator-USA picture gallery of highlights.

From new research into genetically engineered crops, high fructose corn syrup and organic farming to questions over the accuracy of how we currently measure calories, 2012 was an action-packed year in the field of food research.

We kick off this picture gallery with a story that generated a lot of traffic on FoodNavigator-USA, which covered a presentation given at this year's annual conference of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

In his talk, entitled 'Is phosphorus the new trans-fat?'
Geoffrey Block, MD, director of clinical research at Denver Nephrologists, told delegates that dietary exposure to high levels of phosphorus could be increasing the risk of cardiovascular disease.

While phosphorus is an essential nutrient found naturally in some foods such as egg yolk and milk, it is increasingly added to packaged foods via a raft of phosphorus additives as an anti-caking agent, to help preserve moisture or color, as a stabilizer, leavening agent or acidifier, said Block.

And as manufacturers are not required to label levels on pack, we’re not sure how much we’re getting, he added.

This is concerning, because serum phosphorus, even within what has traditionally been regarded as the ‘normal’ range, is now implicated as an independent predictive factor in mortality and cardiovascular disease for adults with or without chronic kidney disease, he said.

From new research into the relationship between excess dietary phosphorus and the risk of cardiovascular disease to questions over the accuracy of how we currently measure calories, 2012 was an action packed year in the field of food research. Check out this FoodNavigator-USA picture gallery of highlights.